A HOPEFUL HEART â—½ YOU
Finishing What I Started
By Christina Oberon
Starting something new often feels exciting, but finishing it can be a real challenge. I dive in with enthusiasm, fueled by fresh ideas and big dreams, but somewhere along the way, life happens. Distractions pop up, obstacles arise, and the initial spark fades. Before I know it, what once inspired me is collecting dust, sometimes literally.
I’ve been there more times than I can count. A new habit I was sure I’d keep forever. A project I swore I’d finish "soon." Even simple tasks like organizing a closet can start with gusto and end with me walking away halfway through, promising to "come back later."
But there’s something rewarding and even healing about finishing what we start. It’s not just about checking a box or crossing something off a list. It’s about building trust with ourselves, growing in character, and discovering unexpected blessings along the way.
Persistence is a muscle. The more we exercise it, the stronger it gets. And persistence doesn’t mean perfection, it simply means we keep showing up, even when the feelings aren’t there. Sometimes the smallest, most ordinary acts of showing up can have the biggest impact.
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In scripture, Paul talks about "running the race" and pressing on toward the goal (Philippians 3:14). That picture of perseverance reminds me that finishing
what I start isn’t just a matter of discipline. It’s also an act of faith. It’s trusting that the effort I put in will bear fruit, even if I can’t see the results yet.
I’ve also learned that the enemy of persistence is often comparison. We see someone else finishing faster, doing it better, or making it look effortless, and we convince ourselves it’s not worth continuing. But God isn’t measuring our progress against someone else’s race. He’s looking at our faithfulness in the one He’s given us to run.
When I think of the times I’ve pushed through to the finish, whether it was a book I wrote and published, a hard season I prayed through like infertility, or even a workout I didn’t want to do, I realize it wasn’t just about the end result. It was about who I became in the process. And I definitely BECAME. I learned resilience. I learned patience. And I learned to rely on God’s strength when my own was running on fumes.
If you’re in the middle of something right now, whether it’s a dream you’ve been chasing, a challenge you’re walking through, or simply a task you’ve been putting off, please don’t give up. Take the next small step. You don’t have to finish it all today, but you can finish faithfully by moving forward one choice at a time.
One of the most hope-filled truths I’ve clung to is this, God finishes what He starts (Philippians 1:6). If He has begun a good work in you, He will see it through to completion. And if the Creator of the universe models that kind of faithfulness, then surely we can follow His lead in our own small, imperfect ways.
Let’s be people who don’t just start well, but finish well. People who keep showing up, even when the excitement fades. People who believe that what God starts, whether in us, through us, or around us, is always worth seeing through to the end.
Finishing what we start isn’t just about reaching the finish line. It’s about growing in faith, hope, and perseverance along the way. And that’s a race worth running every time.